Some of us have been privileged enough to see one or two “once in a generation” rugby players such as Jonah Lomu or Brian O’Driscoll, but who would be bold enough to say that they had seen the “best ever”. Of course comparing players from the past and predicting the future is purely an academic, subjective exercise but what if all the talk, publicity, news and statistics pointed unequivocally to such a conclusion about a player? Daniel Carter (DC) is the man touted as the best of the best, the best ever number 10 in the history of the game never to be bettered.
Never say never, but for the sake of an argument let us consider why Carter attracts such huge accolades? What does he have that’s so special? Is it the number of games won, years played, consistency, body balance or points scored or the fact that he is an outstanding All Black? The answer is all of the above but there is something more to it, a quality indescribable and unreal that we recognise when we see it. It consists of an ability to play flawlessly for 99% of the time and the other 1%, a tick shy of flawlessness.
Players like Carter invariably have poise, timing and endurance to compete at the very highest level for at least 10 years without much time off for injury or recreation. Pure dedication and sacrifice. They are invariably winners on and off the field and always exude confidence, never arrogance, humble and magnanimous come to mind. This means that there is no room for show ponies or big noters in this club.
No one is perfect, but in Daniel Carter the genetics, environmental and psychological factors have combined to create what is close to rugby perfection. He is not a particularly big person by modern rugby standards but this is the beauty of him – his physical size belies his monstrous ability. He is a one off model who rises above the rest and even his bad days are goods days for most other players. He is a master goal kicker with a success rate close to 85% throughout his test career.
He scores tries, distributes the ball with imperious ease and is a demon defender. Not many get through his defensive shield and that includes the behemoth battering ram forwards from South Africa. Yet it is the cold hard statistics that tell the full story. Carter is the leading test points scorer in the world and he is still going strong. He has been an automatic first choice pick for the All Blacks since day one with a test record of more than a decade and a career with an 80% win rate.
Then there are the actual feats on the field. Who doesn’t remember the 2005 test match when DC almost single handed took the British and Irish Lions apart in New Zealand. What about the boyish 23 year old carving up England with monotonous regularity through the 2000’s?
All very well, but how does Dan Carter stack up against some of the greats of the past? Let’s first acknowledge that the game has changed drastically since the amateur era. The players of today are bigger, faster and multi skilled unlike the specialists of the past.
Barry John: Welsh and British Lions fly half of the 1960s and early 1970s. John was a silky smooth runner and passer with excellent balance to his running. He was a precision kicker which made him one of the great players of the amateur era. He is one reason why the 1971 Lions beat the All Blacks at home for the first time in a test series. For all his ability he had a relatively short test career (retired at 27) and like many others had frailties in defence.
Phil Bennett: Another Welshman best remembered for his outlandish side stepping feats in the “try of the century” when the All Blacks were beaten by the Barbarians in 1973. A master stepper and goal kicker, Bennett is a classic player from the “10 man” amateur rugby era.
Hugo Porta: The Argentine master of time and space. He could kick off both feet and had the vision and guile to find space like no other player. Not the fastest player but without doubt the craftiest. Were it not for Porta, Argentina would have lost far more mores game than they did. Not an effective defender but such were the patterns of play back then.
Michael Lynagh: The Australian journeymen, safe, steady and uncomplicated. Lynagh had the knack to put players into gaps and what he lacked in flair he gained as a dead accurate place kicker. He was yet another product of the amateur era when the game was much slower and messier. Small by rugby standards, Lynagh managed to organise the Australian backs to a standard that would win them the 1991 Rugby World Cup.
Stephen Larkham: The sleek and lanky gazelle from Australia and one of the new breed of the late 1990s professional era fly halves – tall, confident and fast. Larkham was arguably the most potent running 10 of all time and always dangerous and probing. When he played, the Wallabies bolstered by John Eales leadership won more games against the top sides than they lost.
Jonny Wilkinson: The English perfectionist and rugby craftsman. Cool, calm and collected, Wilkinson will go down as the best all-round kicker of the modern era. Unfortunately he had to endure England’s dismal “tour of hell” to Australia in 1998 before going on to the triumph of RWC 2003. Small and compact, Wilkinson also lacked defensive ability perhaps the only slight on his game. He will be remembered as the reason for England winning the 2003 RWC.
So what do we make of all this comparison and analysis? The truth is that everything is relative to time and place and in this case hypothetical. What is clear and unequivocal however is that none of the above comes close to possessing DC’s complete bag of skills. Each had their strengths but also glaring weaknesses mostly in terms of their defensive ability. The sad fact is that the sporting world will soon lose Dan Carter to retirement but it would take a brave punter to bet that there will be a more complete number 10 in the near future. Time will tell.